Their pride and joy, the Itachiyama block, was being played with like a dog by Inarizaki, left in this chaotic state.
He felt angry just thinking about it; those two culprits actually had the nerve to be laughing here!
Amatori wanted to hide, but he didn't dare.
Why hit him! He wasn't even laughing!
On the other side of the net, Coach Kurosu stood to one side with his arms crossed, discussing the rotation issues for the second set with Miya Atsumu beside him.
Coach Kurosu glanced at Hinata, who was resting with his eyes closed: "It's unlikely that Itachiyama will change their rotation. They would much rather have Agatsuma focus solely on Shoyo; the effect of taking out one attacking point is far better than a counterattack."
It is true that Itachiyama's offensive level is quite good, but what ultimately supports them in being kings is their blocking and powerful receiving ability.
Moreover, Itachiyama didn't actually suppress Hinata at all in the first set; otherwise, they wouldn't have allowed Hinata alone to score more than one-third of the team's total points.
S1 is Inarizaki's absolute period of strength, so it's impossible to discard.
Especially since they served first, even if Itachiyama adjusted, Sakusa would still start in Position 4.
Judging solely by the results, Agatsuma and Hinata were matched up against each other, so there was no difference.
But in the second set.. they'll probably adjust their tactics appropriately," Miya Atsumu said, rubbing his chin. "For example, being more conservative, giving up on scoring through blocks and switching to scoring through counterattacks.
A fast game tempo can be adapted to; they have already played one set, so even if the opponents haven't completely caught up, if they sacrifice a portion of their absolute dominance, they can at least manage to limit it for the time being.
But similarly, they could also take the initiative to slow down the pace to catch Itachiyama off guard.
Coach Kurosu lowered his head in thought for a moment, then turned to look at Kita Shinsuke. "Shinsuke, Yui, Heisuke, Kuniharu, get ready for the next set; I'll call you in to serve at any time."
If Itachiyama's offense goes smoothly, they will need to use their serves to disrupt the situation.
"Understood," Kita Shinsuke led the response.
Their bench was, in a sense, even more diverse than Itachiyama's.
Aside from their serving, Ginjima, Kumagai, Rishia could also play their roles effectively in their respective positions, making them quite useful for breaking a deadlock through short bursts of energy.
"When the next set starts, Shoyo, try to use as many feints as possible, but still aim for the center. It'll give you a wider view of both sides." Miya Atsumu tilted his head to look at Hinata, who was sitting beside him.
As for when to pull to the sides.. just follow my lead.
Hinata Shoyo, who had been closing his eyes to review the previous set, opened them, his gaze slowly focusing on Miya Atsumu's face.
He didn't answer immediately, but instead called out Miya Atsumu's name: "Atsumu-senpai."
Miya Atsumu looked at Hinata with interest. "What is it?"
Hinata was very serious: "Can I leave this to me?"
It wasn't that he didn't trust Miya Atsumu, he simply wanted to give it a try.
Based on his current understanding of Agatsuma, he was confident he could control the rhythm of the speed and positioning.
Even if he messes up.. Miya Atsumu is still there.
Miya Atsumu's answer was also quite decisive: "Yes."
In any case, Itachiyama is already very familiar with him, so leaving this aspect to Hinata might even produce unexpected results.
Coach Kurosu was full of gratification and whispered to Omimi beside him, "Atsumu is becoming more and more reliable; his actions already show the poise of a great leader."
As expected, leaving the team in the hands of a Setter is the most appropriate choice; this allows me to feel more at ease.
Having received agreement, Hinata pursed his lips and, under Miya Atsumu's expectant gaze, refrained from lunging forward.
He took the opportunity to look at Suna on the other side and discussed tactical matters with him: "Suna-senpai, regarding the blocking of Kami-senpai's Spike.."
His gaze gradually turned into confusion, Miya Atsumu froze right where he was.
After recovering, he glared at Suna with his fiercest gaze, but it somehow looked rather pitiful.
Ginjima, who had just finished handing out towels to everyone, asked in confusion, "What's wrong with Atsumu? Lately, he seems to glare at Rintaro all the time, but Rintaro hasn't done anything."
Aran rolled his eyes. "Don't mind him, he's just trying to get attention."
Miya Osamu tilted his head back and took a gulp of water: "He's just a pervert whose possessiveness has gone overboard because he played too many simulation games."
Hearing their evaluations, Oori Ren froze for a moment: "Is he really that bad?"
Atsumu is just a bit hyper in his daily life, his personality is indeed quite bad, but the difference in how he treats different people is just a bit large.
Aran and Miya Osamu said in unison, "There definitely is."
Miya Atsumu turned his head in protest, grabbed a towel from beside him, threw it at Miya Osamu. "Hey! I can hear you!"
Then, he tugged on Hinata's sleeve with a pitiful expression.
As Hinata turned to look at him, he asked, "How am I? In every aspect."
Hearing this question, Hinata froze for a moment before answering without thinking, "Atsumu-senpai is amazing."
—In every sense of the word.
"Reliable?" Miya Atsumu pressed.
"Reliable," Hinata replied.
"Is he a good senpai?" Miya Atsumu asked, tilting his head up proudly.
"Of course." Hinata nodded.
Where Hinata couldn't see, Suna rolled his eyes at Miya Atsumu.
Recalling Hinata's previous ranking, the unyielding Miya Atsumu followed up by asking, "So, do you like it?"
Hinata followed up by saying, "I like it."
Having received what he took as an affirmative answer, Miya Atsumu turned to look at Miya Osamu and Aran, his face full of triumph as if to say, "Both of you are talking nonsense."
Miya Osamu looked at the towel that had just been thrown onto his head, momentarily at a loss for words.
The next second, Hinata's voice rang out behind Miya Atsumu: "Eh? Where's my towel?"
Miya Atsumu froze for a moment, once he realized what had happened, his smile betrayed a hint of guilt.
Aran expressed that he couldn't bear to watch: "What a jerk."
Miya Osamu returned the towel to Hinata: "Scumbag."
Suna grabbed Hinata's collar and pulled him away from Miya Atsumu: "You scoundrel."
Coach Kurosu remained silent; he decided to take back his previous words.
—Miya Atsumu is completely unreliable!
Feeling completely frustrated, Miya Atsumu stood at the service line.
The rotation for Itachiyama was also as expected, starting with the Ace in Position 4 and Amatori in Position 1.
The back row at this time consists of Amatori, Iizuna, Komori Motoya.
Although the setter was in an easy position to target, Amatori's own receiving ability was very solid, with Sakusa dropping back from the other side, it was essentially a three-person formation for receiving the serve.
Tossing the ball in his hands, Miya Atsumu simultaneously glanced at the back of Hinata Shoyo's head.
—He would turn his grief and indignation into momentum for his serve.
With a burning rage raging behind him, Miya Atsumu stared intensely at Amatori on the opposite side.
Amatori, inexplicably targeted, wore a look of confusion.
In the next second, accompanied by the heavy sound of a spike, the volleyball had already soared over the net in an instant, smashing down just two steps away from him.
—So fast.
Moreover, the positioning was incredibly precise, right in the path that Iizuna had to take.
Amatori reached out despite his hesitation, but he completely misjudged the power of the serve.
No, it should be said that this serve was far stronger than Miya Atsumu's serves in the previous set.
Did he just break through in the middle of the play?
With a loud bang, the ball bounced high into the air and landed out of bounds.
The score jumped to Inarizaki 1:0 Itachiyama as Miya Atsumu scored on his opening serve.
A sudden, thunderous roar of cheers erupted from the Inarizaki cheering section.
Nice spike, Atsumu-kun!
That was amazing, Atsumu-kun—
Watching this ball, Coach Kurosu was stunned for a moment by the sidelines.
The equipment by the sidelines had faithfully detected the speed of the powerful serve just now: 113km/h, surpassing Miya Atsumu's personal best record.
And.. the placement control was extremely precise; it wasn't affected at all by the pursuit of ball speed.
What's going on?
Did a cosmic explosion just happen?
Does getting scolded have such an obvious effect?
Miya Atsumu stood with his hands on his hips, tilting his chin up to look at Suna, while simultaneously raising an eyebrow. "How was it?"
Suna remained expressionless, completely ignoring Miya Atsumu's provocation.
On the other side, Miya Osamu let out a sneer: "What does being a freak have to do with your play?"
Miya Atsumu suffered a crushing defeat, falling to the ground, unable to get up.
His innocent reputation, ruined in an instant!
Hinata took a half-step back: "Is Atsumu-senpai a pervert?!"
Could it be that in places he doesn't know about.. Atsumu-senpai has a scandalous reputation?
The kind that's incredibly scandalous?
"No!!" Miya Atsumu's vision went dark.
On the sidelines, Coach Kurosu rubbed his chin, seriously considering the possibility of having Suna Rintaro and Miya Osamu collectively whip him into shape before Miya Atsumu's serve.
Amatori Toru had originally been immersed in the tense atmosphere of losing points at the opening, but now, after the commotion from Inarizaki, he couldn't feel nervous at all.
Miya Atsumu huffed as he received the volleyball returned by Itachiyama, returned to his approach position once again, from the distance, it was clearly another Power Jump Serve.